Cover Your Tracks
Cover Your Tracks
Warning: if you are worried about someone knowing you have visited this website please read the following safety information.
General security – be aware
This guide offers advice on protecting your devices, including your children’s devices if applicable. The steps you take might need to vary depending on your situation. For instance, changing a password could make someone aware that you’ve done so, potentially escalating their behavior. Your safety is the most important priority, so consider taking certain actions only when it feels safe, such as after you’ve left a risky situation. While it may be tempting to remove access or dispose of a device, it’s often safer to plan carefully before taking these steps.
If your computer doesn’t require a password to log in, others could easily access your email, especially if your password is saved or if you stay logged in. Make sure to manually log out after checking your email, rather than just closing the window.
Keep in mind that the steps provided here may not fully hide your activity. Many browsers keep a history of recently visited sites, and spyware can also be used to secretly track your activity. The safest way to search for information online may be to use a public library, a friend’s device, or a computer at work.
How can an abuser discover your internet activities?
Internet browsers typically save information as you navigate online. This includes images from visited websites, search terms, and a browsing history that shows the sites you’ve accessed. Follow the instructions below to reduce the chances of someone discovering that you visited this site.
If you already know the browser you’re using, you can skip ahead to the relevant instructions. If you’re unsure, you can find out by clicking on the ellipsis (three dots) in the top right corner of your browser window. From the dropdown menu, select the option that starts with “Help”—you’ll then see another dropdown with an entry like “About Google Chrome,” “About Microsoft Edge,” or “About Safari.” This entry will tell you which browser you’re using. Alternatively, you can visit the “What’s My Browser” website, which will identify your browser type for you.
Exit site button
The black Exit Site button on the right of the Platform For Life website (half way down the screen on the right) will quickly hide the page but you will still need to delete your history.
Delete browsing history
Internet browsers keep a record of all the web pages you visit. This is known as a ‘history’. To delete the full history, follow the instructions from your browser:
Clear browsing data from Google Chrome
Clear website data in Safari on Mac
Delete browser history in Microsoft Edge
Clear site data in Firefox
To delete history for Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard, then press the H key (Ctrl, Alt and H for Opera). Find any entries that say platformforlife.org.uk.uk or www.platformforlife.og.uk, right click and choose Delete.
If there are other searches or sites you would be concerned about someone else seeing, you can delete these individually as well or use the following steps to delete your history for a particular period or for all time.
Please note that even if you delete your history from your browser, the search engine you use may also keep a record of your searches. You can change the settings on your search engine, here’s how to do this on:
Google: view your activity, delete past searches, set up extra verification steps to view your full history or stop your activity from being saved
Bing: clear your search history
Yahoo: view your history page to delete or turn off search history
Private browsing
All major web browsers have a “private browsing” mode that doesn’t save any activity on your device while the mode is active. Although private browsing won’t prevent websites or online services from tracking your activity, it ensures no traces (such as browsing history or cached data) are left on your device. This is a good first step to protect your privacy. Keep in mind that if someone is actively monitoring your browsing history, it may be helpful to leave a visible record of non-sensitive browsing activity.
Here’s how to activate private browsing in popular browsers:
Internet Explorer: Click the Tools icon (gear at the top right), go to Safety, and choose “InPrivate Browsing” or press Ctrl + Shift + P. Note: Since Internet Explorer is outdated, we recommend using a more modern browser.
Firefox: Click the Menu button (three horizontal lines) and select “New Private Window,” or press Ctrl + Shift + P.
Chrome: Click the Menu button (three vertical dots) and select “New Incognito Window.”
Microsoft Edge: Click the Menu button (three horizontal dots) and choose “New InPrivate Window,” or press Ctrl + Shift + N.
Safari (Apple devices): Click the tabs icon (two overlapping squares) at the bottom right of your screen. Then, click on the number of open tabs with a “+” to access tab groups, where you can choose “Private.” Remember to close each private tab individually when you’re done, or they will remain open. You can return to normal browsing by clicking “Private” and selecting your usual tab group.
Opera: Private browsing is available under a similar option, much like in Firefox and Chrome.